Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Me neither. Until Sunday, when Ester showed us her pink tooth. Hmmmm...
The Internet helped me to not freak out. I found this. But I still called Dr. Tim in the morning.

He confirmed the condition, root resorption, and said he could pull it or she could work it on her own, (with the chance of it cracking and then the dentist would definitely have to pull it out.)

We all agreed to let her work on it for a while. It was just a smidge loose when we went it.

6 hours later....

The girl gets an A for effort. I never realized how determined she could be. She worked it and pulled it out on her own. (She saved Mommy and Daddy some money, too!)

She wrote the Tooth Fairy a note, asking the Fairy to leave it for now so she could show it to a special friend who will be here this coming weekend. I noticed a specific question on the bottom of the note:

Dear Tooth Fairy,

Please mark what you are...A boy? or A girl?

At breakfast today, she told me there was a mark in both boxes. We wondered if other homes had two tooth fairies as well?!

Saturday, August 28, 2010

...and St. Augustine on Friday, we attended our annual Back-to-School Mass with our dear friend Father B! We are so blessed to have his support, prayers, and love.

I wanted to post this next pic but also respect everyone's privacy...and I couldn't get the blur to work as much as I wanted. So I colored the faces...

This picture only represents 8 of the 22 families in our group.

What two great feast days...two incredible saints! A mother's devotion to her child; never giving up hope in order to bring the child to his faith. A son, who grows into one of the most intellectual and profound men; pre-emenent Doctor of the Church.

And after celebrating 8am Mass together, we all headed to a local park. We packed a breakfast of donuts and juice, and a whole lot of energy to burn off!

It didn't hurt seeing and visiting Ontario along the way...

That is the horse of course! And how cool is that?

A mounted policewoman trotted up and the kids were able to check out her horse, Ontario.

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Somewhere out there in blogosphere, I came upon a post once that talked about keeping your favorite recipes in a binder.

Tired of mine being oil-stained, smudged and torn, I finally started my own recipe binder.

I had a big ole honking stack of printed recipes...from other blogs, emails, or may all time fave...www.allrecipes.com. I purchased the binder and plastic sheet protectors and waa-laa! Eventually, I'm going to buy and insert the tab sheets in order to index my categories.

I just don't like recipe books. I usually only find a few useful recipes in each, otherwise, they just end up collecting dust. Anymore these days, I will grab one of these in the check-out line at the grocery store...

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We are having our first low-key weekend in ages. Boy! It feels great to just be.

This morning, we decided to hit the local Farmer's Market.

A few of the colors, sounds and smells from the market....

And then, inside Dixie's Story, I found these awesome books....

The fall birthday season will soon be upon our household. I thought these might make some super gifts for the little ones.

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Tonight, Sally is heading to her first middle school social. Games, potluck dinner, and fun will be had with other 6-8 grade Catholic homeschool students from the DFW area. She is excited for this more grown up atmosphere and to meet new people.

All this, in a home, chaperoned by parents. Can't ask for anything better!

Thursday, August 26, 2010

I wish there were a window into his little head. One where I could flick a switch to see all his gadgets and gizmos spinning and rotating as his imagination grows more and more vivid.

His cape is part of his daily wardrobe these days. It could be the cape to Buzz Light Year....where a fantasy takes him to "infinity and beyond!"

The cape could be that of Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader, depending on how dark his mood is that day or moment.

Lately, the cape is that of Peter, on Prince Caspian. He has his imaginary sword and his horse that he rides upon so proudly!

Down the sidewalk outside....with Bubblegum, the horse.

Yes! That is a pink horse. We do have three very masculine- looking stick horses....but, none can keep their heads on nor are as easy to handle as Bubblegum. Bubblegum happens to be an old horse belonging to Ester.

Oh! How the imagination grows more each day...

In those photos, Stan posed for me, showing me how he is ready with his imaginary sword in hand. He informed me of the following:

"Mom. If I poked you with my sword, you'd die." And then with an afterthought, as if wanting to make it sound scarier, while squinting his eyes, he added, "Real hard."

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Even though he is smothered with lovins, having three sisters and zero brothers can deplete a boy's testosterone level. Every now and then, our little boy needs a testosterone-tank refill...needs his manly time with Dad.

Hangin with Dad is the best.

(David had been trying to figure out a way to carry Stan in the woods to track javelinas.)

But what is a boy to do when Dad isn't available?

Hmmmm....how about a little boys club....with playmates from our homeschool group? Playmates that are around the same age? And best of all...No. Girls. Allowed.

Yup! Stan was off today...on a new adventure. (With his magic cape to boot!)

He brought the apple juice boxes. Boy did that make him feel special! He had so much fun...didn't want to leave. This group is a start to a beautiful thing!

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Yesterday, our temps were rather high...and we are hoping that the mid-90's will soon move in. I can tolerate it up to around the century mark...after that? Forget it!

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We've been having fun with science this year. Since it is too hot to play outdoors, science becomes even more appealing.

When Stan climbed up to take a look the the gills of a mushroom...he told everyone to stand back. He was "science-ing".

Friday, August 20, 2010

I said..."To the lake we go! We can collect our algae sample and swim while we are at it."

It took them all of 3 seconds to drop what they were doing and race for their suits. Funny how there are certain things a mom doesn't have to repeat. So much fun to watch them totally, absolutely, crazy-like excited!

You know, I bet their little brains were clickin' a mile a minute....wondering... what exactly did Mom put in her coffee to become so spontaneous....(nothing...BTW!) I just love life and homeschooling can slowly suck it right out of you if you are not careful.

Reading this post by Gardenia reminded me to be fully aware that time is slipping quickly and I better heed the call! You inspired me, Gardenia, to be spontaneous again!

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So we did it. We gathered our essentials....loaded the van...and shouted....lake or bust, baby!

We LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. the lake! This was the first time that I took them by myself.

Stan was so excited (and shocked by this) he said, and I quote: "Mom. This is like a giant trip. We can even sleep in the van!"

Okay...Stan gets really excited.

The lake is a 30 minute drive from our house to the state park gates....through the gorgeous countryside of Texas' prairies and lakes region.

The drive is so gorgeous, it makes us all feel like we are traveling through a little bit of heaven. It is so beautiful, it deserves a post! Which, I decided, I am going to do soon.

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And we collected our water sample...

I loved watching them all do this as a team. Sally was in charge of the test tube since it was glass and we were working near algae-covered rocks.

Can I tell you something without sounding like I'm bragging? Watching them...working together...loving life...I felt so proud to be called their Mama.

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Not sure if you all realize how hot Texas has been this summer.... it's been brutal. One of the longest streaks of 100 plus temps on record...relentless.

Today reached 102 degrees F., but there was a fantastic breeze that made it so comfortable.

We played and played, and when we finished snacking, we played some more!

Our kind of recess!

And as I perched in my chair with the waves slowly lapping against my bum...I watched these kiddos and realized that I could very well be planting seeds. Seeds of dreams.

Perhaps there is a marine biologist in the future?

(Working on my photos, I realized I had set my camera to the wrong setting...hence the blue tone...Ugh!)

Or perhaps, an oceanographer?

How about a future member of the Army Corps of Engineer, (who created this particular lake),...or even a future, star, surfer dude?

Hang Ten, Stan!

You never know.

What I do know is that these kids love life to the fullest. They are happy children, and David and I are so blessed to have them 'on loan' to us from God.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

This is one of those products that is so good, you just have to pass it along*.

So...why do we not go to the doctor when our bodies are telling us to go?

I waited and waited...and spent way too many months suffering....when all I needed was a bit of help from this...

My before picture:

My cycle drops to 20-21 days. One full week of heavy... miscarriage-like... bleeding (7-8 days). Followed by one week of feeling good inside...physically...and briefly. The last week was dealing with severe PMS.

Only to repeat itself...barely giving me enough time to come up for a gulp of fresh air.

I put off going into the doctor until my yearly check-up was scheduled.

Shouldn't have done it.

Wouldn't recommend it.

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I have a long history of problems. My files that follow me are somewhat embarrassing because of the attention they create...and even though it isn't my fault, it is embarrassing and tiresome to have to talk about it whenever I have to switch doctors.

I am old enough and experienced enough to know that I do not want some pill to just cover up my issues; a pat on the head; and a push out the door.

After moving to the Dallas area, I was blessed to find a Catholic ob/gyn doctor who would not prescribe contraceptives. God bless him!

It was a double blessing for myself. I now have a doctor who is compassionate and listens to me.

My After Picture:

Three months of...

Applying 1/4 teaspoon, twice daily, for 12 days each cycle, has brought me such happiness. I now have a 24-25 day cycle. Good-bye acne and severe PMS. Hello 3 1/2 day periods. Most welcoming is the physical well-being of my body.

This month, (month 4), I go it alone. Since I'm not menopausal, I need to take a break and allow my body to assume the natural role of creating its' own progesterone.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

BTW...The pharmacist highly recommended it as well and led me to my progesterone "dealer" in town.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

It was a peaceful way to end our weekend, celebrating the Feast of The Assumption of Mary Into Heaven.

(Top to bottom, left to right: Sally's, Ester's, Mabel's, & Stan's)

When I saw Jen's kids doing this project, I recalled having my oldest two do it some years ago. We did it again in honor of Mary's feast day today. They'll be nice pictures to look at while doing school work at their desks this week.

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The past few days have found little Miss Britches quietly thumbing through a new Halloween costume catalog that arrived in the mail. It is filled with THE MOST beautiful halloween costumes I've ever seen and I know that it is triggering Mabel's fantasy button in her brain.

She even enticed Daddy into checking out some pretty ones. (The prices are way out of line!)

Sally baked her first cake....completely on her own. She never asked for help.

(Sigh...) Yet, another sign that she is growing up...

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The older two were invited to a swimming, birthday party. Swimming...at night...at the subdivision pool! Twice this year! Who would have thunk!

Watching them head down the street to their friend's house, I noticed how excited they were....

The situation created a small coupe attempt on the part of Mabel and Stan, who thought this to be highly unfair! The revolt was abandoned when I enticed them with chocolate cake and a dollop of ice cream.

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Looking for a breakfast that sticks to the bones, I found this....

...how easy and fun! Pop these on an English muffin with melted cheese...lip-smackin' yum! I HIGHLY recommend it.

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Never tried Mary Kay before. Have you? Do you like it? I bought some this weekend. We'll see...

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BLT's...need I say more? Next to chicken salad sandwiches, these are my fave!

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The days continue to slip by ever-so-quickly. It seems as though Friday was here, and now we are back to the beginning again. We will be starting our 4th week of school. How did that happen?

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The Call....by Regina Spektor. Love it! I became hooked on it after watching Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.

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Hi All!

I'm suppose to tell you about myself here, so let's see...I love my faith, my family, the magic of the cocoa and coffee beans, margaritas and music, people watching and picture taking, and the sun that comes with living in the south. In my spare time, I am raising five kids and home schooling (and trying real hard to work on my patience and persistence!)